Porsche 550

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Porsche Spyder" redirects here. For the RS Spyder, see Porsche RS Spyder.
Porsche 550
Curb weight
approximately 550 kg (1,212 lbs)
Chronology
SuccessorPorsche 718

The Porsche 550 is a racing sports car produced by Porsche from 1953 until 1956. In that time only 90 Porsche 550s were produced, and they quickly established dominance in the 1.1- and 1.5- liter classes. The Porsche 550 is a mid-engine car with an air-cooled four-cylinder engine, following the precedent of the 1948 Porsche 356/1 prototype designed by Ferry Porsche.  The mid-engine racing design was further developed with Porsche's 718 model; its advantages led to it becoming the dominant design for top-level racing cars by the mid-1960s.

The Porsche 550 has a solid racing history; it won the Nürburgring Eifel Race in May 1953, the first race it entered. The 550 Spyder usually finished in the top three in its class. Each Spyder was designed and customized to be raced.

A 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder sold at auction in 2018 by Bonhams for $5,170,000 (£4,115,763); it was the highest price for a 550 at auction.[1]

Engine and transmission

The Type 550/550 A is powered by an all aluminium 1,498 cc (1.5 L; 91.4 cu in) (85 x 66 mm)

carburetors and dual ignition. In its first version it produced 110 PS (108 hp; 81 kW) at 6200 rpm and a maximum torque of 121 N⋅m (89 lb⋅ft) at 5000 rpm.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

The engine of the 550 is mounted in front of the rear axle making it mid-engined. This gives it a more balanced weight distribution, and allows for largely neutral handling. On the other hand, the low mass moment of inertia about the vehicle's vertical axis can lead to a sudden, difficult to control rotation of the car.

Auto Union Grand Prix
car of the 1930s.

The first 550 had a fully synchronized 4-speed gearbox. Starting in 1956, a 5-speed gearbox was used, but its first gear only had to start and (like the reverse gear) had to be placed over a barrier and not synchronized. Excessive slip to the drive wheels in corners was prevented by a

limited slip differential.[11]

History

Spartan interior of a 1955 550 RS from the Ralph Lauren car collection
Porsche 550 RS with amber European spec blinkers
Backside of a running 1957 Porsche 550A

Inspired by the

Paris Auto Show.[13] The 550 was very low to the ground, in order to be efficient for racing. In fact, former German Formula One racer Hans Herrmann drove it under closed railroad crossing gates during the 1954 Mille Miglia
.

Racing history

The first three hand-built prototypes came in a coupé with a removable hardtop. The first (550-03) raced as a roadster at the Nurburgring Eifel Race in May 1953 winning its first race. Later that year the 550 took class wins in the

spaceframe chassis, gave Porsche its first overall win in a major sports car racing event, the 1956 Targa Florio. During this era Porsche was the first car manufacturer to get race sponsorship, which was through Fletcher Aviation, who Porsche was working with to design a light aircraft engine and later Telefunken and Castrol
.

The Porsche 550 of the German Hans Herrmann first place in the Sport category of less than 1500 c.c. in 1954 Carrera Panamericana.

The 550 was also raced by privateers, who kept the type in competition after the works team had moved on to the 718 in 1957. The 550 was both a road and track car and it was common for privateers to drive it to the race track, race it, then drive it home.

Each Spyder was assigned a number for the race and had gumballs positioned on doors, front and rear, to be seen from any angle. On some 550s owned by privateers, a crude hand written number scrawled in house paint usually served the purpose. Cars with high numbers assigned such as 351, raced in the 1000 mile Mille Miglia, where the number represented the start time of 3.51am. On most occasions, numbers on each Spyder would change for each race entered, which today helps identify each 550 by chassis number and driver in period black and white photos.

Its successor from 1957 onwards, the

Porsche Boxster S 550 Spyder is a modern mid-engined sports car that pays tribute to the 550; the Spyder name was effectively resurrected with the RS Spyder
Le Mans Prototype.

James Dean's 550

Main article: Death of James Dean

One of the first 90 Porsche 550s built was James Dean's, numbered 130 (VIN 550-0055), which was involved in a collision at the CA Rte. 46/41 Cholame Junction on September 30, 1955, resulting in Dean's death.[14]

As Dean was finishing up Giant's filming in September, 1955, he suddenly traded in his 356 Porsche Super Speedster at Competition Motors, for a new 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder on September 21, and immediately entered the upcoming Salinas Road Race event scheduled for October 1 and 2.[15]

A contemporary of Dean, the rising actor Tom Pittman also died prematurely when he crashed his Spyder over a cliff in 1958.[16]

Replicas

Replica 550 Spyder, fibreglass panels on custom chassis, powered by VW, Porsche or Alfa Romeo flat-4 engine

The 550 is among the most frequently reproduced classic automobiles. [17]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

Year Entrant Chassis Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Points WCC
1957 Dr Ing F. Porsche KG RS550 Porsche F4 ? ARG MON 500 FRA GBR GER PES ITA N/A N/A
Germany Edgar Barth 12*
Italy Umberto Maglioli Ret*
Ecurie Maarsbergen RS550 Porsche F4 D Netherlands Carel Godin de Beaufort Ret*
1958 Ecurie Maarsbergen RS550 Porsche F4 D ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER POR ITA MOR N/A N/A
Netherlands Carel Godin de Beaufort Ret*

* Indicates a Formula Two entry

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porsche 550 Spyder.
  1. ^ "1958 Porsche 550A Spyder - Bonhams".
  2. ^ "1955 - 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder Review @ Top Speed". Top Speed. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  3. ^ "Type 547 engine | Type 550". type550.com.
  4. ^ "1954 Porsche 550 RS Spyder". Supercars.net. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  5. ^ "Porsche 550 RS Spyder". ultimatecarpage.com. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  6. ^ "Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder". Automobile-catalog. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  7. ^ "This 64-Year-Old Aircooled Porsche Engine Was Bid to $220,000 and Didn't Sell". 21 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Technically Interesting: Porsche Type 547 Four-Cam". 16 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Type 547 engine".
  10. ^ "Porsche Carrera race engine model". 16 November 2018.
  11. ^ "RS550 specs | Type 550". type550.com. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  12. ISBN 0-7603-1364-4
    .
  13. ^ "Porsche History - Milestones". Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  14. ^ Raskin, Lee (July 1984). "Porsche Panorama". Little Bastard: Search for James Dean's Spyder. Porsche Club of America, Inc. pp. 12–16, 19–20. ISSN 0147-3565.
  15. ISBN 978-1-893618-49-7
    .
  16. ^ "Tom Pittman, Like James Dean, Is Killed Driving His Race Car". The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA). November 20, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  17. ^ "The Most Commonly Replicated Classic Cars". Hagerty Magazine. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
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